Senator Fasano: “Shoreline rebuilding in spite of Governor Malloy and DEEP, not because of them”

October 29, 2013

State Senator Len Fasano (R-North Haven), a member of the General Assembly’s Shoreline Preservation Task Force whose senate district includes the Connecticut shoreline community of East Haven, released the following statement today following Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s press conference on the one-year anniversary of Super Storm Sandy:

“On the anniversary of Super Storm Sandy, Connecticut’s shoreline is recovering and rebuilding in spite of Governor Malloy and the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, not because of them.

“The DEEP permitting process is still too slow and the cost of complying with unreasonable state regulations is still prohibitive. On the one hand, shoreline residents have seen flood insurance rates skyrocket because of increased exposure to natural disasters, and on the other hand DEEP is preventing homeowners from taking the necessary steps to reduce that exposure and protect their families and properties. It’s a catch 22 that neither the governor, nor DEEP, nor our congressional delegation has done anything to remedy.

“The most positive thing Governor Malloy could do to directly help people on the shoreline – and at no cost to state taxpayers – is to streamline the DEEP permitting and decision making process. People on the shoreline, as well as many people who live along Connecticut rivers, are still really struggling and, in many cases, government bureaucracy is preventing them from rebuilding their homes and their lives.

“These are serious issues affecting thousands of Connecticut residents. State and federal officials need to work together to reduce the delays, unreasonable regulations and expenses that are preventing our neighbors from rebuilding the lives they had before the storm.”
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